Refrigerator or cooling devices for fluids



March 14, 1961 A. s.s|NATRA'ErA1 2,974,499

REFRIGERATOR OR COOLING DEVICES FOR FLUIDS Filed May 21, 1958 INVENTORS Ange/o S, S/rlazr'a BY fi A A, Pecoraro fi Z QMK EH I-IIIl w 2,974,499 REFRIGERATOR R COOLING DEVICES FOR FLUIDS Angelo S. Sinatra, Massapequa Park, Edward J.

Dziedziula, North Massapequa, and Ralph R. Pecoraro, West Islip, N.Y., assignors to Ref Manufacturing Corporation, Mineola, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed May 21, 1958, Ser. No. 736,869

3 Claims. (Cl. 62-386) This invention relates to refrigerating or cooling devices for fluids and is more particularly related to water coolers of the type utilized in aircraft galley equipment equipment that will fulfill the practical needs required of them for operation within the available limited space.

.The desideratum of the instant invention is the fulfillment of the foregoing requirements.

An object of the invention is to provide a refrigerating or cooling device for a confined fluid that will cool. .the same to a predetermined temperature consistently. Another object of the invention is to provide a fluid cooling device in which the fluid is confined in a tank mounted in a chamber in which a refrigerant is permitted to evaporate about the tank and convection currents are introduced in the tank to provide for a more vefiicient cooling of the fluid therein.

' :Still another object is to provide a cooling device in which a fluid containing tank is cooled by the evaporation of Dry Ice directed for movement thereabout in a unique manner and that is so constructed to permit the cooling of the warmest fluid in the tank to permit the withdrawal of fluid therefrom having an approximate predetermined temperature. I

A further object is to provide a device for cooling fluids by theevaporation of a refrigerant material. Accord- :ingly, featuresof the invention reside in the novel arrangement of access structures that permit replenishment of the supply. of refrigerant when the same is consumed and that maybe sealed in a leak-proof manner when the device is in use.

It is'still a further object to provide a refrigerating or 'cooling device that is compact in design, light in weight, sturdy of construction, yet capable of continuous use without wear or costly repair.

Other and further objects of my invention reside in the structures and arrangements hereinafter more fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the refrigerating or cooling device constructed in accordance with the teaching of the invention. Fig. 2 is aside view of the device with a portion thereof shown in section.

Fig. 3 is a top view of the device, and Fig. 4 is' an end view.

Referring now to the drawings, the fluid refrigerating or cooling device is generally identified by the numeral 10. The device comprises a housing formed as the result of nesting a pair of inner and outer shell members 12 and 14 respectively. The outer shell member 14 is unitary in construction molded of a rigid Fiberglas material having a bottom 16, sides 18 and a rear wall 'tudinally extending runners 34.

2,974,499 Patented Mar. 14, 1961 '20. The inner shell 12, being of stainless steel, is unitary in construction and has a bottom 22, sides 24 and a rear wall 26 that define a refrigerating evaporation by the interposition of Fiberglas or other suitable insulation 28 therebetween.

A fluid reservoir or tank 30 is fixedly mounted within the chamber of the inner shell 12 by brackets 32. Se-

cured to the side walls 24 of the inner shell 12, immediately above the top of the tank, is a pair of spaced longi- The runners 34 are adapted to slidably mount a refrigerating receiving tray 36. The refrigerating tray 36 is thus moved in the man- ,ner of a drawer upon the spaced runners 34 and positioned immediately above and adjacent to the top of the tank 30. Referring to the drawings, it will be noted that the tray 36 is longer in length than the tank 30 therebeneath and thus extends beyond the forward end of the .tank for a purpose to be described. The tray 36 is open at its top to permit the reception of a refrigerant therein. In practice, it has been found that Dry Ice is especially adaptable in the operation of the instant invention.

The tank 30 is provided at its opposite ends with fluid conduits 38 and 40 that are conveniently connected there- ;to. The conduit 38 is connected for the introduction of tap water into the rear lowermost portion of the tank.

For this reason, the inlet conduit 38 is provided with a union nut 42 by which the device 10 may be connected toany water or fluid line.

The conduit 40 serves as the fluid outlet and is connected to the tank at the forward uppermost portion thereof. The union nut 44 provided at the end of the conduit 40, shown in the drawings, serves to connect the same with a fluid system for the convenient dispensing of fluid from the tank 30.

The inlet and outlet conduits 38 and 49 both extend through the bottom of the insulated housing comprising the inner and outer shell members 12 and 14 into the evaporation cooling chamber. Accordingly, the outer and inner shell members are provided with openings 46 and 48 to accommodate the inlet and outlet conduits respectively. Each opening 46 and 43 is slightly larger than the respective conduit passing therethrough, thereby permitting the movement of the evaporating refrigerant or coolant from the tray 36 out of the evaporating chamber of the housing to the atmosphere.

In operation, the refrigerant or coolant is placed into the receiving tray 36 by swinging a front door 50 upwardly about hinges 52 secured in position to the housing at the top thereof. The door 50 includes a screw-type lock 52 mounted at the lower portion thereof for releasable engaging cooperation with the housing. Hence, to replenish the supply of evaporating coolant in the tray 36, it is merely necessary to release the screw-type lock 52 from engagement with the housing and lift the front door 50 upwardly about its hinge 54. The tray may be slid out of the evaporating chamber so that a refrigerant, such as Dry Ice, may be conveniently placed thereinto. The tray is then moved back into position immediately above the tank 30 and the front door 50 securely locked closed by the securing engagement of the lock 52. A gasket 56 may be provided between the door and the housing to insure an air-tight seal while the front door 50 will be suitably insulated with material 28 in the same manner as are the inner and outer shells 12 and 14.

Initially, water or other fluid is admitted into the tank 30 by way of the inlet 38 while air is evacuated with water from the tank by opening or venting the outlet 40 connected thereto. The exhausing of fluid by way of the outlet 40 will provide an indication that the tank 30 is full. Hence, it willbe recognized that by virtue of the location of the outlet 40 at the forward upper portion of the tank 36, all air may be evacuated from the tank with thedispensing of fluid therefrom. The positioning of the outlet 40 is'important since iteliminates the accumulation of insulating air pockets in the-tank and enables the same to be completely filled with fluid.

To drain the tank, it is merely necessary to open both the inlet and outlet conduits 38 and 40. The inlet 38 will exhaust all the fluid from the tank while the now open outlet 40 will admit air at atmospheric pressure into the tank. The lowermost inlet conduit 38 provides an eflicient complete draining of all of the fluid from-the tank.

The evaporating coolant in the'tray 36 seeks its way out of the evaporating chamber of the-inner'shell member 12 by way of the escape openings 46 and 48. As the coolant evaporates and passes out of the evaporating chamber of the housing, it drapesitselfabout the exterior of the tank 30, thereby cooling the fluid in the tank, more immediately at the upper portion thereof, and in addition, along the inlet and outletconduitsJBS and 40 that extend through openings Y46 and 48. As the evaporating coolant escapes by way of the openings 46 and 48, it likewise cools the fluid within the respective conduits extending therethrough to pre-cool the incoming fluid and maintain the fluid in outlet conduit 40 at proper withdrawal temperature.

Convection currents are thus set up within the tank '30 whereby the relatively warmer tap water entering the tank by way of the inlet 38, tend to rise toward the top while the previously cooled liquid therein, beingheavier, moves toward the lower portion of the tank. In turn, the upwardly moving warmer tap water is consequently cooled by the refrigerant in the tray 36 positioned immediately thereabove. The result is a constant circulation and movement of fluid in the tank.

This circulation of fluid results in an intermixture of the downwardly moving cooler fluid and the upwardly moving warmer fluid, resulting in a fluid having a predetermined desired ambient temperature. As water of cooled ambient temperature is dispensed from the tank 30 at the topmost portion thereof, tap water is introduced into the tank at the lowermost portion thereof to keep the tank full.

The operation of the device .10 is exemplified as follows: Tap water of approximately 80 F. is supplied to the reservoir 36 at its bottom-most portion. Water cooled by the effect of evaporating Dry Ice draping about the tank, is withdrawn from thetop of the reservoir at about 55 F. Ordinarily the Dry he would cool the water at the top of the tank to a temperature below 50 F. but since the warm water rises to the top ,and convection currents continue for as long as there is a differential in temperature in the tank, the temperature at the withdrawal outlet 40 may be predetermined to approximate 55 F. a

The fluid refrigerant or cooling device is further provided with an emergency service repair access door or cover 58 that is secured about its periphery to the housing at the topmost portion thereof. The coveror access door 58 is secured in place to the top of the housing to provide access tothe complete interior and opens above the tray 36. The cover 58 is insulated in the same manner as the front door 50 and is constantly secured in position at the top of the housing by threaded means such as screws 60 which may be quickly and easily removed to permit the cover to be'lifted off of the housing. In order that a secure seal will be provided between the cover 58 and the housing, a gasket 62 is interposed therebetween to extend under the full periphery of the cover including its upwardly beveled edge 64.

The device 10 may be conveniently located and fixed in position by mounting brackets 66 provided thereon. Because of its compact size, very little space is required for the mounting of the refrigerating device 10. When used in a system such as that disclosed in the previously mentioned co-pending application, it may be mounted immediately above the remaining structure of the system. Accordingly, the Fiberglas outer shell 14 and the insulating material 28 provide complete insulation for the cooling chamber defined by the inner shell 12.

While there have been shown and described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a. preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the device illustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled in the art, without'departing from the spirit of the invention. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the claims appended hereto.

vWe claim:

1. A fluid cooling device comprising an outer shell of molded fibreglass, a stainless steel inner shell within said outer shell and spaced therefrom, insulation means between said inner and outer shells, said inner defining a refrigerant evaporation chamber, a fluid-containing tank mounted in said chamber, fluid inlet means connected with said tank to introduce fluid thereinto at the lowermost portion thereof, a fluid outlet connected with said tank to exhaust fluid therefrom at the uppermost portion thereof, said fluid inlet and fluid outlet being disposed at opposite ends of the tank, openings defined in said inner and outer shells to provide access for said inlet and outlet from the outside of said shells to said chamber and being larger than said fluid inlet and outlet, and a refrigerant-receiving tray mounted in said chamber above said tank and on which a refrigerant may be placed for evaporation in said chamber to cool said tank and to exhaust from said chamber through said openings.

2. A fluid cooling device comprising inner and outer nested shell members, means between said shells to insulate the same, a fluid tank in said inner shell, a refregerant-receiving tray in said inner shell extending across the top of said tank, a fluid inlet connected with the lowermost portion of said tank, a fluid outlet connected with said tank to exhaust fluid from the topmost portion thereof, openings defined in said shells through which said fluid inlet and outlet respectively may extend, said openings being greater in size than the respective fluid inlet and outlet extending therethrough whereby the cooling gases produced by a refrigerant received in said tray may escape to cool the fluid inlet and outlet, and a door hingedly movable to permit access to said tray.

3. A device for cooling a fluid comprising a housing, a water reservoir mounted in said housing, removable means in said housing to retain a refrigerant materialand positioned adjacent to the upper end of said reservoir whereby the evaporation of the refrigerating material cools the reservoir on all sides thereof, water inlet means to introduce water to the lower portion of said reservoir, water outlet means to withdraw water from the upper portion of said reservoir whereby convection currents are obtained in said reservoir and the water at the upper portion thereof has an approximate predetermined temperature, and openings defined in the base of said housing about said water inlet and outlet means to exhaust the evaporating refrigerant from said housing, said inlet and outlet means extending through said openings and 'said openings being larger than said inlet and outlet means whereby cooling gases produced by the evaporating refrigerantmay exhaust around and cool said inlet and outlet means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,963,674 Pearsons June 19, 1934 2,148,109 Dana et al. Feb. 21, 1939 2,488,881 Rogers et a1. Nov. 22, 1949 

